


they would take me from your hand (or they would try)

by Faye_Reynolds



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Explicit Language, Found Family, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sledgefu Week 2020, presumed dead!au, prompt: healing, sledgefu week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25666924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faye_Reynolds/pseuds/Faye_Reynolds
Summary: they knew the risks, assumed them each time they went out on a job. but gene maintained the small hope that it would never happen to them. unfortunately, fatally, he’s proven wrong. their marks gets wind of their plan and in the matter a few  they knew the risks, assumed them each time they went out on a job. but gene maintained the small hope that it would never happen to them. unfortunately, fatally, he’s proven wrong. their mark gets wind of their plan and in the matter of a few seconds, snafu is shot and gene loses his other half. snafu had been the first and only friend he made when he returned stateside. they’d helped each other through nightmares and flashbacks. they worked together to make good people safe and put bad people in jail. they built a crew, a family. they fell in love and built a life together. and one person had taken it all away with a single gunshot. but, they killed the wrong person. they messed with the wrong crew. because now that gene had nothing to lose, except his life, he’d gladly give it if it meant that snafu’s killer would meet the same end.
Relationships: Andrew A. "Ack-Ack" Haldane/Edward "Hillbilly" Jones, Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	they would take me from your hand (or they would try)

Everyone grieves differently.

Gene’s been to enough funerals in his life to hear that same phrase enough times to wonder about its validity.

Now, though…now he knows its true.

And it’s not the fact that he’s burying his best friend.

It’s not the fact he’s burying the love of his life.

It’s not even the fact that he has to hide his own presence at the funeral.

It’s the fact that he’s burying a _closed_ casket.

It’s the knowledge that this is his last chance to say goodbye and he doesn’t even get to do it properly. Doesn’t get to see Snafu’s face one last time. Doesn’t get to memorize every feature to memory to last him the rest of his life…what’s left of it.

No, he doesn’t get that.

Instead, he gets a funeral filled with ex and current FBI agents, and some undercover CIA agents pretending to be mourners, intermingled with people who knew Snafu in passing at his cover job. In front are, Snafu’s foster parents, Andy and Eddie, and in the back, hidden amongst some last-minute stragglers, are the last remaining members of K Company: Gene, Bill, Jay, and Burgie.

He supposes this is what he signed up for.

They’d been playing with fire for so long, it was only a matter of time before one of them burned for it.

They can’t stay long. Too many targets on their back at the moment, but at this point Gene doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about their mission. He doesn’t care that they were so close to achieving what they’ve been working toward for the last four years. He doesn’t care that Snafu’s death would be in vain if they didn’t finish.

It doesn’t matter because he isn’t here to witness it. Snafu isn’t here to be a part of it.

_Snafu. Isn’t. Here._

Gene’s sorrow and grief sits heavy and solid at his core.

He can’t cry anymore, not even if he tried. He’d exhausted his tears and vocal cords when Snafu’s death had first hit him. The morning after their mission, he’d made two cups of coffee like he always did and when it struck him that he wasn’t going to have to do that anymore, he collapsed. He didn’t move for four hours and did nothing but scream and cry while Bill, Jay, and Burgie could do nothing but watch and try to console him. He didn’t speak for days after that.

Though he’s completely numb, it’s still threatening to consume him whole and he isn’t sure he wants to prevent that from happening. At least then he wouldn’t have to feel like he’s drowning, lungs incapable of drawing in air. He wouldn’t feel anything at all.

Anything is better than this.

He watches in slow motion as Andy stands up to address everyone in the room that was currently threatening to suffocate Gene.

“Hello everyone,” Andy begins, solemn but not as broken as Gene expected. He kind of didn’t expect them to be cognizant enough to talk. He knows for the first few days, he wasn’t.

“Thank you all for coming. Eddie and I appreciate all the love and support you’ve offered us since we…since we found out.” Andy clears his throat, but Gene knows Andy well enough now to know that it isn’t from entirely from overwhelming emotion, but discomfort.

Gene crosses his arms and stares at the man in front, something about Andy throwing him off-kilter.

Andy catches his gaze when he looks back up and just barely manages to hold in his reaction before he continues.

“Our son was..complicated. Before he came into our lives, he had been through more than any child should. Still, the day we met, he was quiet and shy, but still kind and polite and caring. He completed our family and became mine and Eddie’s world. Incredibly intelligent and talented, we always knew he be successful in whatever he…he chose to do.”

Andy rubs his eyes harshly as he stops again and Gene watches as Eddie jumps to his side without question.

Eddie continues right were his husband left off, and Gene marvels, as he always has, at how in sync the two of them were. He supposes the years as partners in the FBI coupled with years as partners in life warranted such intimacy.

Eddie looks at Gene and nods imperceptibly, none of the agents in attendance were clever enough to catch it.

It makes Gene pull his hat further down and stand closer to the door.

Something is nagging at the back of his mind, like an itch he can’t reach, and it’s making him dizzy.

“Despite what has recently come out, our son was not a criminal. He did not come from a broken home. He was loved unconditionally, still is, and always will be. Our son did what he felt necessary to save millions and he paid for it w…wi-with his life,” Eddie clears his throats, blinking furious tears from his eyes, “You cannot imagine the amount of integrity, compassion, and dedication it took to do so. We ask that you leave us to grieve in peace. Thank you.”

Eddie pulls Andy away from the small podium and towards the back of the room where Gene is still staring.

They don’t even look at him and instead head to another room, Gene assumes, to grieve in private.

Gene leaves without another look towards the casket. No point in staying, there was nothing, _no one,_ in it to say goodbye to.

* * *

Three weeks later, and Gene’s barely slept. Tracking down anyone who knew anything about their mark and getting all information out of them, Bill, Burgie, and Jay by his side like always.

“Moran is getting squirrely, he’s bumped up security because of his brother’s arrest,” Bill calls out from the security feeds he’s been watching all day.

Gene smiles when Burgie and Jay high five in victory.

“Nice job on that, by the way, wouldn’t have found the files if it you didn’t crack the safe in time.”

They smile and Gene is hit with a sudden wave of grief because Snafu would’ve loved to see this. Finally taking down the man who had caused millions to suffer. What they’d been working toward for over a year.

Christian Moran was as much thief as he was corporate CEO. He had swindled thousands out of millions and as a result those who trusted him lost their savings, homes, families, and lives. He _and_ his company needed to be taken down.

And K Company was just the group to do it.

Snafu was their hacker, genius and quick on his feet, he’d been able to just about anything with five minutes and a decent internet connection. He was the one who brought the idea of going after Moran to Gene after Moran had been found not guilty.

_“Oughta take the bastard down a peg.”_

_Gene laughed, “Want me to shoot him, Snaf?”_

_Snafu seemed to genuinely consider it for a moment before shaking his head._

_Then he smiled and he could’ve asked Gene to shoot himself in the foot and he would’ve done it. That smile could’ve made Gene do anything the other man asked._

_“Nah, I got somethin’ better.”_

Gene was security and weapons, a veteran of special forces in his own right. He and Snaf met in a group therapy session and from the moment he heard Snafu speak, Gene knew he’d never hear anything so beautiful again…even if the first words he heard were, _“Fuck this.”_

Burgie and Jay were on the ground. They both grown up in the foster system together, brothers bond in more ways than blood, and their survival had depended on become the best thieves in the world. It wasn’t a small claim by any means, but when Snafu and Gene recruited them and the two had just stolen the _real_ Oppenheimer Blue, they counted their lucky stars.

Bill had been Gene’s recruit. They didn’t serve together, but Gene had heard Bill’s name enough times to know his reputation was well earned. They needed someone else on the ground to make sure Jay and Burgie always had a way out if they ran into trouble. Bill was that insurance policy.

He never expected that they’d eventually become so close, that he’d find love and friendship and family among them all, but here they were. One member short.

The grief hits so fast and hard that Gene can’t breathe and he’s backing out of the room before his crew can notice.

He misses the look they all share and doesn’t realize Bill is following him until he spots him in his blurry vision.

“I-sorry, I d-don’t know what…”

“It’s alright, Sledge. Just try to breathe and take your time.”

He nods and slowly wills his heart to stop attempting to break out of his chest.

It doesn’t work.

“FUCK!” He screams as he upturns a desk full of weaponry.

Bill jumps but tries to remain calm, “Gene, i-it’s alright man. It’ll be o-“

“NO, IT FUCKING WON’T!” He screams, face turning red and tears already falling. He isn’t sure why his mind has chosen this exact moment to break, but he had no choice but to deal with it.

“It won’t be fine! He’s fucking dead, Bill! I was his back up! I was supposed to watch him!”

Bill just nods, knowing he couldn’t really say anything helpful.

“He was nearly out! He ALMOST made it!”

Gene collapses against the wall and slide to the floor, tears falling and sobs breaking with each gasping breath.

“I-I cleared too early,” he whimpers, not willing to admit this fully to himself let alone tell anyone else, “I-I left. I fucking left him, Bill.”

Bill sits in front of him, followed by Burgie and Jay who all sit in silence waiting for Gene. They have been anticipating this, Gene had been too steady, too calm.

“I told him we were clear then I left him and…and,” Gene screams into his hands, unable to finish the sentence, the memory enough to tear him apart.

He sucks in a harsh, shattering breath through his teeth.

When he speaks again, there’s no emotion, no inflection, just sound.

“I left him and then Moran killed him. He died cold and alone. And it’s my fault.”

They all sat in silence for a long moment. This wasn’t news to anyone in the room, they’d already figured out what happened, but it was important for Gene to voice it so he could begin healing.

Burgie breaks the silence first and it surprises everyone. Next to Gene, Bill had always been the steady, dependable one who offered up reason in the chaos.

Still, Gene refuses to look at any of them. The pity and concern he’s certain are in their eyes would be enough to break him further and he isn’t sure he’d be able to put himself back together.

“You know we ain’t the type to mince words, Gene. We never had problems telling one another the truth and we don’t lie. So, believe me when I tell you it is not your fault. We all knew what we were getting into, and that ain’t no excuse, but we knew that going after Moran might mean we meet our ends on the other side of a gun.”

Gene’s eyes lift from the floor to Burgie’s own. He doesn’t see pity or concern, instead he sees anger and determination.

“So, I ain’t saying you’re not allowed this, but if you’re not ready, we need wait.”

Gene closed his eyes and slammed his head against the wall, tears slowing their rapid production and drying against his cheeks.

They couldn’t afford to wait, but if there’s one thing that Gene was certain would get them all killed it would be a rush job. He wouldn’t let that happen. Not again.

They were so close. They’d been planning for years before Snafu died and now they were closer than ever. Moran was panicking and that meant he’d make mistakes and Gene would be there the moment he did.

He cracks his knuckles, a bad habit but on he couldn’t kill.

“I have to see Andy and Eddie first, but I’m ready.”

He looks into the eyes of the rest of their crew and when they sense no trepidation, they all nod. Gene wanted to heal from the open wound that was trying to consume him and the crew wanted him to heal too. This was the first step. Finishing what they started.

Bill helps him up and then they’re back to work. Every job they’d done in the last two years had been practice, honing their skills in prep for the biggest one.

Despite the nagging in his brain, still trying to make him see something he couldn’t, they were ready.

Gene feels their eyes on him the rest of the day but ignores them in favor of cleaning and prepping his guns and other weapons.

It wasn’t their standard operating procedure, but Gene was taking Moran down one way or another.

* * *

Four days later – two days after finally saying his piece to Snafu’s parents - and everything is going to plan. Burgie and Jay are in the building, securing the files that would bring Moran and his corporation down with a simple press release. Bill was inside too, had been working in security for the building for three months, no one the wiser.

Gene was on the building across the roof, rifle primed, and scope leveled on their exit. Bill would get them out and Gene would ensure the getaway.

He wasn’t losing anyone today.

He’s watching everyone going in and out of the single entrance building and the nagging in his head is in full force.

“How’re we looking, Twins?” The nickname comes easier and since they moved in unison more often than not, it stuck when Bill had called them that the first time.

“Ninety-four percent,” Burgie offers with a start, “Three minutes to the front door,” Jay finished.

“Bill?”

“All clear for the exit when they’re ready.”

“Copy that, thirty seconds to alarm pull, Bill call it.”

Gene watches scan the entrance again, heart steady and calm. This was it. They were nearly out.

Then three unmarked cars pull up and the nagging that “it’s too easy,” catches up with Gene.

“We got three ducks in a row.”

“What?” Bill exclaims through a whisper.

Gene takes a deep breath and refocuses on the agents gathering outside their cars. No time to think about _why_ or _how_ they’re there, he has to refocus on a new exit strategy.

“FBI, twelve agents.”

“What do we do, Sledge?” Burgie asks, a little whine in his question of barely held frustration.

Sledge considers twelve different options, each on worse than the last.

“Pull the alarm, Bill.”

“ _Gene_ ,” Bill warns, uncertainty not doing them any favors.

“Pull the goddamn alarm Bill!”

He hears the screech flow into the comms and smiles as the agents all jump, a black wave of fear in their matching suit.

“Okay, up and out, fellas. Move. _NOW!_ ” Gene shouts, watching as the agents scurry as into the building.

He opens his bag and pulls out his contingency plan. The grappling hook had been Snafu’s idea after a long weekend of no work and too much Batman.

_“Bet we could make it.” Snafu challenged from Gene’s lap where his head was resting. Gene’s hands running through the curls nonstop._

_“Of course we could, just have to determine the maximum weight, velocity, distance, gravity, and friction.”_

_“Just that?”_

_Gene laughed, “You’re telling me hacker genius can figure out how to get me from one roof to another without falling to my death?”_

_Snafu had pinched him then, “I’ll do you one better. I’ll get the whole team across.”_

“One floor to the roof, Gene,” shouted a breathless Bill.

Gene kissed the gun and aimed directly at the transformer in the middle of the roof.

It latched tightly as the Twins and Bill burst through the door. Gene latches the other side to the grip he drilled in when he first made it up.

“The grips you have hook directly to the line,” Gene shouts, “Latch them then hold on tight. No different than the Brooklyn job.”

“We weren’t twenty stories high in Brooklyn, Sledge!”

Gene laughed despite the adrenaline coursing through him. Despite jumping from buildings and parachuting from planes, Bill was still afraid of heights even though he’d never admit it, even with a gun to his head.

Despite his complaining, Bill was locking Burgie’s grip onto the line.

“One at a time now.”

Burgie takes a running start, screaming with joy as he flies across the gap.

Gene catches him with ease and unlocks the grip, proud he calculated the velocity and angle right and knowing

“Damn that never gets old!” Burgie laughs.

“Thing 2 coming in.” Gene hears Bill through the comms.

Jay comes over without a sound and unlatches before Gene can even meet him.

“You’re a damn child, screaming like you’re on a roller coaster Burg.”

They laugh together and finishing packing up the gear.

“Let’s go Bill, they’ll be clearing the roof any second.”

As if on cue, three agents burst through the roof door as Bill hooks his line.

“Shit! Bill jump now!”

After Bill’s leap, Gene turns to the Twins, “Go now, exit three, rendezvous at the south bend safe house. We’ll meet you there.”

They nod, take Gene’s gear and are gone as soon as Bill touches the ground.

Gene rushes to Bill as a gunshot rings out and clips him in the shoulder. They both drop to the ground and Gene curses.

“Goddamn, I hate healing shoulder wounds. Fuck!”

Bill laughs and pulls Gene against the wall with a groan.

“We gotta run for it, they’re gonna be flooding the building any minute. Can you move?”

“Yeah, just a shoulder shot, I’m fine.”

Bill nods, “On three.”

He smiles and Gene matches it knowing what Bill was about to do.

“Three!”

They make a run for the door narrowly missing a shot to the left of Bill’s leg.

“They’re on the roof!” An agent shouts from the ground floor.

“Shit, they’re already here.”

Bill sighs, “Could really use a plan here Sledge.”

He fight through the pain and runs through at least six plans in forty seconds, all ending with one or both of them dead.

“Gene!” Bill whispers.

Another four plans end up with them both arrested.

Gene sighs, he knows what he must do, just never thought it would come to this.

He looks up and meets Bill’s eyes.

“It’s been a pleasure serving with you Bill.”

Bill looks at him in confusion, but with the steady gaze of Gene on his, the brunette knows it’s the best plan, if not the only plan where they both don’t end up dead or in prison.

Bill salutes him and Gene slaps his hand to pull him into a quick but painful hug, time running out to fast for a proper goodbye.

“Exit three, south bend. The Twins will be there.”

They moves to spilt, Bill to the left a fire escape leading to the back alley, and Gene to the right, leading directly towards incarceration.

“Bill?”

The brunette turns to him in concern. The footsteps getting closer and closer.

“Take. Him. Down.”

Bill nods, “Copy that.”

They smile at one another and then Gene is running down the stairs to meet his fate.

“Oh no! Over here. They won’t catch us!” Gene shouts in an overdramatic tone. He hears dress shoes slamming on the ground and sits down on a bench outside one of the offices on the 18th floor.

He smiles as he catches his breath. His crew was safe. Moran was going down, and Snafu’s dream was going to happen. Even if he was in prison for the rest of his life, Gene could finally heal.

The agents throw him to the ground despite him not resisting and despite the gunshot wound. 

There’s a knee pressing directly on the wound and despite shouting in pain, the agent doesn’t relent.

Gene passes out from the pain before he could cuss them out.

* * *

When he wakes, his shoulder is sore but patched and already itching.

He’s still handcuffed and his neck is stiff from sleeping in a chair for however long he was there.

A few moments later, an agent walks in with a cup. He’s tall, blonde hair clipped close to his scalp, and confidence that Gene can already tell comes from his job rather than inherent belief.

“I’m Agent Parker,” the man starts, “You, Mr. Sledge, you’re a hard man to find.”

Gene decides he has nothing left to lose, so he goes the smartass route.

“If you needed to talk to me, all you had to do was call.”

The agent laughs and Gene decides then and there, he doesn’t like him.

“Funny words from a man in handcuffs and a GSW.” The agent smirks and places the cup down in front of Gene.

Normally he’d decline, but…

“You already got my DNA on file from the hospital, no sense in declining.”

“Smart, too. Just how did the U.S. Government let you slip away?”

“I covered myself in oil,” Gene winks, “Hard to catch.”

The agent nods, “Not hard enough.”

Gene shrugs, “I ain’t a braggin’ man, but the only reason you caught me was that I turned myself in.”

“Is that so?” The agent asks, a little too cocky for Gene’s liking, “The way I see it, we had you surrounded, and you didn’t turn yourself in as much as gave yourself up because you couldn’t escape.”

Gene shrugs again, “You say tomato, I say tom-“

“And,” the agent interrupts, “the way I see it, you’re looking at _a lot_ of prison time unless you give up the rest of your crew.”

Gene leans his head back against the wall, defiant in his silence.

“Nothing to say now?”

The agent slaps his hand on the table, “Alright," he moves to the door, “I’ll be back in a moment. Maybe you’ll want to talk when I get back.”

Agent Parker closes the door then pops back in such a rush that Gene forces his eyes open.

Something in the expression on the man’s face makes Gene’s stomach drop.

“Just one thing to consider,” He suggests, “How did we even know you were going to be at Moran’s office?”

He smiles at Gene’s shocked face and leaves the interrogation room.

Gene sits up, running through every possible way they could’ve found out.

He eliminates the crew. Never a question in his mind regarding their loyalty.

Then there’s Andy and Eddie. There’s a chance that Snafu would’ve told them, but they would’ve never sold out their son and Snafu knew they’d probably try to talk him out of it.

He’s still trying to find the answer when the agent walks in again.

The door remains open.

Gene looks up and the shifty smile has turned smug when he realizes Gene hasn’t made the connection.

The nagging sensation is making his brain inch again and he knows if he had a little more time, he could figure it out.

“I’ll spare you the trouble.”

“Doyle,” the agent gestures to someone just outside the door calling them in.

Gene watches the exchange with a sick, sinking feeling turning his stomach.

Someone is pulled into the room and it takes Gene a long moment for his brain to recognize what… _who_ he’s seeing.

“Your little _boyfriend_ here has been quite the talker. I can see _why_ you’d go to prison for him. Shame he wouldn’t do the same for _you_.”

The horror in his eyes must show because the agent’s smile widens.

His brain finally makes the realization and he lets out a single, shuddering breath before dashing across the room, as far away from the men at the door as possible.

_Snafu._

_Was._

_Alive._

He was alive and Gene was furious.

* * *

When Snafu woke up in the hospital, his first thought was Gene is gonna be furious.

He smiles despite the pain radiating from his side and when he tries to lift his left hand to rubs his eye but finds it’s handcuffed to the bed.

“Mr. Shelton, you are under arrest for the attempt-,”

Snafu interrupts, “Yeah, yeah, I don’t fucking care what the charges are. I want my lawyer.”

He lay back down and smiles when the smarmy agent huffs before they leave.

He’s creating a plan as quickly as he can, but the thought of Gene keeps distracting him. He needed to know that Gene was okay. The man was already broken when they found one another, riddled with guilt for past sins that weren’t his fault. Snafu knew the way Gene’s mind worked, couldn’t imagine what the man was going through and he wanted nothing more than to know he was alive and didn’t blame himself.

He thinks about his next move and how in the world he’s gonna make it out when an idea hits him. He laughs and leans into the pain it causes his side.

If it all worked out, he and Gene would be relaxing on their back porch, recovering and healing but whole and together. The way it should’ve been, the way it always should be.

Gene snaps, rushes toward the two men, backing his elbow into the agent’s face before colliding his fist with the side of Snafu’s jaw.

“You fucking asshole! You rat! I can’t believe you sold us out!”

Snafu tries to reply Gene punches him in the gut, right where bandages are hidden and Snafu keels over in pain.

He lands another hit on the agent, dropping him to ground, and the holds Snafu against the door by his throat.

“You’re a dead man, Shelton! This time I’ll make it stick!”

He tightens his hold making his threat a promise.

He’s pulled away by two more agents, Agent Parker still passed out on the ground.

Snafu falls to the ground, tears streaming down his face, breathing heavily from the lack of oxygen. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

“You’re dead!” Gene threatens before the tasers on his sides knock him out.

* * *

For the second time that day, Gene wakes with a stiff neck, but at least his shoulder is cushioned by a warm pillow.

He opens his eyes and smiles.

“Good morning, honeybee.”

He watches a slow smile creep on the face above him before he’s met with an annoying but fond Snafu.

“Good morning, drama queen.”

Gene laughs, ignoring the pain as his shoulder is jostled.

“Was it too much? I was goin’ for extra but believable.”

“I could’ve dealt with not being called a rat, but the rest was perfect. Oughta give you award or somethin’,” Snafu runs a hand down Gene’s chest, link their hands together against his hip.

“Well thank you, Mr. Shelton,” Gene coos, “but I think you’re a mighty fine consolation prize.”

Snafu smiles and Gene commits it to memory, each freckle, line, and crease.

“Where are we headed?”

“ _Home_.” Snafu sighs, sinking further into the seat like he’s just returning from war.

 _In a way_ , Gene thinks, _we are._

“Unless you need to stop somewhere else first, Gene?” Asks a voice from the front seat.

“I could use a greasy burger, Eddie, I don’t know about you.”

The two men in front laugh and pull into a local bar off exit three.

* * *

Gene’s halfway through his second burger, feet resting in Snafu’s lap when something strikes him.

“So, what’s the next step?” He mutters through a mouthful of cheeseburger, “How free are we?”

Eddie and Andy look to each other then back at Gene, “Like any other citizen. Thanks to you Moran is on his way to county as we speak, no way he’s getting out of it now. Agent Parker is suspended because he irresponsibly put two wounded citizens, in custody without proper charges, at-risk and because he has very deep ties to Moran’s operation. We actually had our eye on him for a while, didn’t have anything substantial until now. And as for the FBI...let’s just say, things get lost in the shuffle all the time.”

Snafu snorts, “Especially where you two are involved.”

Andy ruffled Snafu’s hair, “If our son wasn’t such a goddamn pain in the ass, we wouldn’t have to do it so often.”

“Not my fault you raised me with such high moral drive and a mighty propensity for bending the law for justice.”

Eddie sighs, like a parent who had been long suffering their child but still loved them unconditionally.

“We didn’t teach you to go after international, multi-million-dollar CEOs, get shot in the process,” Eddie started putting up fingers for each incident, “get arrested by a crooked agent, call us from the hospital with a half-ass plan to run an op so you can fake your death,” he puts up his other hand, “ask us to fake your funeral, at some point tell your partner everything and let your crew break into a corporate headquarters, all so they can do what you initially tried to do in the first place.”

Gene, who had been laughing the entire time, curls over in amusement.

Snafu just smiles, lazy and carefree and Gene doesn’t think he’s ever looked more gorgeous.

“Well when you put it like that, Pops, you make it seem like I have a tendency toward being reckless, some might even say _foolish_. As one-half of the people that raised me, might say something more about you than me.”

Snafu threw a fry in his mouth and watched Eddie grow more annoyed.

Eddie glares at his son while Gene and Andy share a knowing smile as though to say, “ _To the people we love, huh?”_

Gene presses his foot into the side that is injure, “If you wasn’t shot, I’d tell you to run, Snaf.”

Eddie laughs, “If he wasn’t shot, he’d already be on the ground.”

The table erupts in laughter and Gene is hit hard with just how lucky he is to have found such incredible people to love and who love him.

The bell at the front door rings and Gene and Snafu shoot up and run, albeit gently, to the newcomers.

Shouts of, “Hey!” “Come here!” “Good to see you!” and “You asshole!” ring out as they all hug one another in a showcase of love and loyalty.

After talking to Andy and Eddie the day before the heist, Gene had immediately met with the boys and told them everything and the new plan. The only change was the end. Gene had to get caught no matter what. He didn’t plan on getting shot, but the agent that fired had been trained by Andy so it was nearly a sure thing. They all agreed, smiles on their faces and hope renewed.

They pull another table up and the Twins grab a round of beers for the group.

Snafu and Gene relay the play by play, with no details left behind, from the moment Gene and Bill split.

“You two are fucking made for each other,” Bill laughs in disbelief.

Gene smiles and finds Snafu’s hand that was already searching for his and their fingers intertwine gently.

They look at each other and smile.

“Yeah, something like that.” Snafu says.

Surprisingly, it’s Jay that makes a mock-vomiting noise and says, “Get fucking married already.”

The group erupts in laughter again and doesn’t leave until early in the morning.

* * *

Three months later, Moran is sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

They all stand outside the courthouse as he’s taken away, admiring their hard work.

Though he’s pleased as punch to watch the asshole be carted off, Gene’s mind is elsewhere and he reaches a sudden decision.

He turns to Snafu whose eyes were closed, skin soaking up the sun of the early morning.

Gene’s never been more in love as he would be today and would be more so tomorrow.

“Marry me.”

Everyone turns to the two of them in an instant, Moran long forgotten.

Snafu turns to him, wearing his favorite black hoodie, the one Gene had screamed into when he thought he’d lost him forever, and he smiles.

“Can’t imagine a single thing I’d wanna do more, Gene.”

“City Hall is right there,” Gene points excitement bubbling up and threatening to make him giggle, “Is today a good day?”

Snafu shrugs, shit-eating grin widening and reaching his eyes, “Sadly, Sledgehammer, today’s the only day I will marry you.”

Gene pulls him into a kiss that barely counts as one because they can’t stop smiling and laughs.

“Good thing I asked, then.”

He links their finger and Snafu kisses their joined hands, “Good thing.”

The boys erupt in joy and cheer for them as they make their way to City Hall.

When they arrive, Andy and Eddie are already waiting for them, rings in hand.

Snafu looks surprised and begins tearing up.

“I asked them after they told me the truth,” Gene leans in and whispers, “Wanted to do it earlier, but we had other plans.”

Snafu pulls him into a rough kiss, feeling as though his entire life – every hardship, sorrow, grief, mistakes, every _bad_ thing – was so he would recognize good whenever he saw it. And no one, nothing, would ever be as good as Gene. Not for Snafu.

“I’d’ve said yes then and I’m saying it now and I’ll say it tomorrow. I love you, Eugene. I ain’t ever gonna stop.”

“God, I love you.”

Gene laughs and pulls Snafu into a kiss again, trembling hands holding him close.

He was going to marry his best friend, the love of his life.

Someone he thought he’d lost. Someone he had grieved for, mourned for. Someone he thought he’d left behind.

And someone he was never again going to leave behind.

_‘Til death do they part._


End file.
